Smoking Hot Chinese Phrases to Rate Your Celebrity Crush

When talking about how things look, we can use terms such as "辣眼睛 (làyǎnjīng)", or "spicy eyes" to describe something awful or we can use a term to rate how good-looking someone or something is using "颜值 (yánzhí)" which is much different from commenting on a woman’s beauty, however. "颜值 (yánzhí)" is a common way to rate how attractive people look according to varying degrees. We’ll examine this word and the phrases that evolved from it and by the end of this article you should be able to express how attractive your celebrity crush is!

Let’s break it down:
颜 (Yán): face.
值 (Zhí): value; price.
颜值 (Yánzhí): the literal meaning is the value of a person’s face but in this instance, we use it to mean the rating of how attractive someone’s face is.

Generally speaking, celebrities’ range of "颜值 (yánzhí)" fluctuates depending on what stage in their career they are. In Leonardo DiCaprio’s case, his "颜值 (yánzhí)" ranges from Romeo and Juliet charming to The Great Gatsby captivating. We can emphasize his attractiveness score by saying:

Leonardo de yánzhí zhēn gāo a!
莱昂纳多 的 颜 值 真 高 啊！
What a charming guy Leonardo is！

"颜值 (Yánzhí)" originally referred to how good-looking a person is but gradually evolved into more uses like "颜值高 (yánzhí gāo)" and "颜值爆表 (yánzhí bàobiǎo)".

颜值高 (Yánzhí gāo): charming, handsome, good-looking.

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There are some words you hear over and over again once you begin living in China. As a student of Mandarin Chinese, the words may not be so familiar to us as we learn from textbooks and study for our Chinese exams. However, some words and expressions are used quite frequently on a daily basis in China. One of these words I’d like to introduce today is: 打听 (dǎtīng).

While studying in Beijing, "打听 (dǎtīng)" has made its way into myself and my classmates’ daily language. The word breaks down like this:

打听 (Dǎtīng) = to ask or inquire about something; to get "the scoop" on something.
打 (Dǎ) = a verb, meaning to hit, beat, or fight.
听 (Tīng) = a verb, meaning to hear, understand, or obey.

If we are curious and interested in someone or something, we use "打听 (dǎtīng)" to explain the research and inquiring we do to learn more. If we are annoyed or concerned about the constant barrage of questions we are receiving about our personal lives, or want pertinent information, we can also use "打听 (dǎtīng)."

Here are some examples of "打听 (dǎtīng)" in use:

Jack bú yuàn biérén dǎtīng tā de sīshì.
Jack 不 愿 别 人 打听 他 的 私事。
Jack doesn't want others prying into his affairs.

Lily xiǎng dǎtīng qù shěnyáng de huǒchē.
Lily 想 打 听 去 沈 阳 的 火 车。
Lily wants to inquire about the trains for Shenyang.

Wǒ dǎtīng dào le Sam de dìzhǐ.
我 打 听 到 了 Sam 的 地址。
I found out Sam's address.

A Scenario:

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Quiz:
1. Read the dialogue below and answer the question.

Kathy: Wǒ xiǎng xiàng nǐ dǎtīng yíxià Lily de xiāoxī, qǐngwèn nǐ zhīdào tā xiànzài zhù nǎ'r ma?
Kathy: 我 想 向 你 打 听 一下 Lily 的 消 息，请 问 你 知 道 她 现 在 住 哪儿 吗？
Anne: Tā xiànzài zhù nánshān xuéxiào.
Anne: 她 现 在 住 南 山 学 校。
Kathy: Xièxie nǐ!
Kathy: 谢谢 你！

What does the word "打听 (dǎtīng)" mean in the dialogue?